Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as 100 mph winds whipped up fast-moving wildfires in Boulder County, Colorado.
Downed power lines sparked two small grass fires that quickly turned into large blazes because of gusty winds.
At least 600 homes and one mall were destroyed, according to the Boulder County sheriff.
More than 30,000 people in Boulder County were ordered to evacuate.
Six people were taken to the hospital with burns. No fatalities have been reported so far.
ABC 7 reported:
A vicious wildfire that began Thursday morning in Boulder County, Colorado, swallowed about 1,600 acres in a matter of hours, burning hundreds of homes and prompting orders for some 30,000 people in two communities to evacuate.
Amid historically powerful winds, some 370 homes were destroyed in a single subdivision just west of the town of Superior, while another 210 homes may have been lost in Old Town Superior, the sheriff said Thursday. No deaths or missing people were reported immediately.
Mall in Boulder County being evacuated:
Entire mall being evacuated Costco #marshallfire pic.twitter.com/rlVMsj5RV5
— nataliewarady (@N4ttybyn4ture) December 30, 2021
Young mothers grabbed their children and ran out of a Chuck E. Cheese off Marshall Road in Superior, Colorado.
VIDEO:
Close up view of the Boulder County fire and reaction from inside the Chuck E. Cheese off Marshall Rd in Superior, CO with wind gusts of 110mph. pic.twitter.com/OkBUnl8E9c
— Jason Fletcher (@SoFarFletched) December 30, 2021
VIDEO:
Not good pic.twitter.com/1mmqrF3PEl
— Eric English (@EricEnglish777) December 30, 2021
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